Cotton-gin.



PATENTED MAY 8, 1906.

P. P. KING.

COTTON GIN.

APPLICATION FILED MAYIQ, 1905.

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APPLICATION FILED MAY19. 1905.

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PATENTED MAY 8, 1906.

I. F. KING.

COTTON GIN. APPLICATION FILED MAYIQ, 1905.

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Lave Hi0?! UNITED STATES PHINEAS F. KING, OF CLEVELAND,

PATENT OFFICE.

OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-SIXTH TO THIRD TO J. D. CHAMBERS.

COTTON-GIN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 8, 1906.

Application filed May 19, 1906. Serial No. 261.169.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PHrNEAs F. KING, residing at Cleveland, in thecounty ofCuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new anduseful Improvement in Cotton- Gins, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings.

Cotton-gins of the roller type are exceedingly efficient machines whenused with short-staple cotton. They are also probably the most efficientforms of cotton-gins in ginning long-staple cotton; but neverthelesswhen so used they cause the cotton to become kinked or knotted, therebyvery greatly impairing its value. Much thought and labor have beenexpended in the effort to so modify the roller-gins that they would notact in the manner stated. These efforts have heretofore been withoutsuccess, perhaps because it was never definitely determined whatcharacteristic of construction present in such rollergins caused thekinking of the long-staple fibers. I have discovered that the cause ofthis action is something inherent in a roller-gin-viz., the curvedsurfaces on the roller and the opposed knife-bars between which thefibers are drawn by the rollers. I have therefore devised a cotton-gin,which is shown in the drawings and hereinafter described, in which thecotton fiber is not drawn between two curved surfaces, but is drawnbetween two substantially parallel plane surfaces-viz., one fixed andone movablefor example, the plane side of a rotating disk and the planeface of an opposed knife-bar. The moving plane surface has much the samefunction as the periphery of the roller in the roller-gin, but it hasnot the defect above referred to in operating upon long staple cotton.The cotton fiber in passing along with the movin plane surface andbetween it and the kni e-bar remains straight and comes out of themachine without kinks or knots, whether the staple be long or short. Thein, as shown 1n the drawings in which this invention is embodied, hascertain other advantages as compared with the roller-ginsto wit, themachine is more compact and less expensive to construct and operate. Ithas greater capacity than roller-gins of corresponding size and cost;and it is very easy to increase the capacity of the machines, or ratherto build other machines having greater capacity, without much additionalexpense, because it is only necessary to lengthen the shaft and applythereto one or more additional disks and associated mechanisms. In otherwords, one .may make a machine of increased capacity by merelymultiplying the parts necessarily found in the machine.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of thecotton-gin embodying the present invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevationthereof. Fig. 3 is an end view from the right end of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is asectional plan view of some of the disks and their associated parts.Fig. 5 is an elevation in plane, indicated by line 5 in Fig. 4, exceptthat the disks are not sectioned. Fig. 6 is a plan View correspondingwith Fig. 4 of a modified construction, and Fig. 7 is a plan viewcorresponding with Fig. 5 of the same modified construction.

Referring to the parts by letters, A represents a shaft capable ofrotating rapidly in suitable bearings on the frame B of the machine. Toit are attached a plurality of ginning-disks C, which are preferablymade of corundum, although any suitable material may be employed. Thisshaft and all but about one quarter of these ginning-disks are inclosedWithin a casing D, preferably made of sheet metal. Secured upon theframe B is a hopper F, having at its bottom a discharge-opening f ofvariable size, the size being made variable by a sliding gate f, whoseposition is determined by a set-screw f Below this feeding-opening inthe hopper is a movable feed-belt E, which runs over suitable rollers eand is provided with a plurality of pins e, which as the belt movesalong in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 1, take hold of the cotton andcarry it along and deliver it to the action of the gin-disks. The cottonas it is so carried along by said feedbelt is carried between pins orteeth K, which act as combs to straighten out and untangle the cottonfibers. These disks have plane end faces, and associated with each endface is a knife-bar h and an inclined plate g. The

knifebar is secured in a horizontal position close to and almost incontact with the end face of said disk on one side of the shaft A, andthe vertical face of the knife-bar is parallel with the opposed face ofthe disk. The knife-bar h is far enough below the inclined plate g toallow the stripped cotton-seed to pass between them.

As appears from the drawings and as before stated, a plurality of disksare attached to the same shaft, and the opposed ends of adjacent disksare both utilized. It is therefore possible to construct the knife-barsassociated with two adjacent end surfaces as parts of a single plate Hand to likewise form the two inclined surfaces g, associated with thesame end surfaces, on a single block G. The vertical partition I) is arigid part of the frame and is slotted to accommodate the several disks,and it, together with the knife-plates H, form between each pair ofdisks an approximately triangular chamber from which the cotton cannotpass into the casing D except by passing between the knife-bars and endfaces of the disks. The blocks G are secured to the artition b, and theyare sharpened along t eir upper edges g and are widest at their bases.When the feed-belt E carries the seed-cotton from the hopper, itdelivers it into the narrowing spaces between the blocks and theadjacent disks, and as more cotton is so delivered it will be forcedagainst the end faces of the disks by the inclined faces g. The

knife-plates H rest at one end upon the frame B and may be moved towardshaft A by means of set-screws m, supported by-a bar M. The "inner endsit of said knife-plates are curved and rest upon the shaft A or sleevesa upon said shaft. These plates are guided between ribs 11, secured tothe frame, and are held down somewhat loosely upon the frame by theflanges 6 upon said ribs. In each plate H is a central opening 71/2between the knife-bars formed by the sides of said plate, and the seedsafter the fiber is stripped from them feed through this opening into adischarge-spout J. In the preferred construction these disks C arewidest at their centers and are tapered toward their peripheries, sothat they are narrowest at their periphery. The knife-bars forming theknifeplate are shaped so that they are parallel with the adjacentsurface of the disks-that is to say, this plate is narrowest near theshaft A. As a matter of fact, the knife-bars should be as close to theend faces of the disks as they can be without touching them. When thedisks and the knife-plate are ta-;

faces 9 guide the cotton against the end faces The end surfaces of theseI of said disks.

disks adhere to the cotton fibers and pull them along between themselvesand the adjacent knife-bars, thereby stripping said fibers from theseeds, which seeds when thoroughly stripped drop through the openings inthe knife-plates into the discharge-spout J. Because the knife-plates Hrest loosely at their inner ends upon the shaft and at their outer endsare not held down firmly upon the frame said plates are free to vibrateslightly, and as a matter of fact they do vibrate up and down when themachine is in use, and this vibration agitates the stripped seeds, sothat they find their way into the openings in the knife-plates. Afterthe cotton fiber has been carried along by the disks and past saidknives and has been thoroughly separated from the seeds said fibers arethrown from the disks into the casing D, from which they are removed, asmay be necessary.

The reference-letters employed in connection with elements mentioned inthe following claims are used merely to enable the reader to easilylocate the parts referred to and not with the intention of therebylimiting said claims to any particular form of such parts other than isnecessary for the described cooperative action.

The modification shown in Figs. 6 and 7 difiers from the constructionshown in the other figures in one particular only-namely, that theopposite end faces of the disk are parallel with each otherthat is tosay, the disks are the same thickness in all parts instead of beingwidest at their centers and ta,- pered toward their peripheries.

Having described my invention, I claim 1. In a cotton-gin, thecombination of a rigid movable member having asubstantially verticalplane surface with a substantially horizontal knife-bar having a planeedge which lies close to and is parallel with the vertical plane surfaceof said movable member, means for moving said movable member in avertical plane to cause its plane surface to move rapidly past the edgeof said knifebar, and means for forcing seed-cotton against the saidplane surface of said movable member.

2. In a cotton-gin, the combination of a rigid disk 0 rotatable upon ahorizontal axis, a knife-bar held close to the substantially verticalend face of said disk on one side only of the axis thereof, means forrotating said disk, and means for feeding seed-cotton against the endface of said disk.

3. In a cotton-gin, the combination of a rotatable disk 0, a knife-bar Hheld close to the end face of said disk, means for rotating said disk,an inclined plate above said knife-bar and adjacent to the end face ofsaid disk, and means for feeding seed-cotton'between said inclined plateand the end face of said disk.

4. In a cotton-gin, the combination of a rotatable shaft, and aplurality of ginning-disks secured thereto, with a knife-plate locatedbetween each pair of adjacent disks and having its edges close to andparallel with the opposed end faces of said disks and having a centralopening for the passage of the stripped seed.

5. In a cotton-gin, the combination of a rotatable shaft, and aplurality of ginning-disks secured thereto, with two knife-bars locatedbetween each pair of adjacent disks with their respective edges close toand parallel with the opposed end faces of said disks, and a wedgeshapedblock secured between the disks and a short distance above saidknife-bars.

6. In a cotton-gin, the combination of a rotatable shaft, and aplurality of ginning-disks secured thereto, with a knife-plate locatedbetween each pair of adjacent disks and having its edges close to andparallel with the opposed end faces of said disks and having a centralopening for the passage of the stripped seed, said plate being supportedat its inner end by resting loosely upon said shaft and being supportedat its outer end upon the machine-frame.

7. In a cotton-gin, the combination of a rotatable shaft, and aplurality of ginning-disks secured thereto, with a knife-plate locatedbetween each pair of adjacent disks and having its edges close to andparallel with the opposed end faces of said disks and having a centralopening for the passage of the stripped seed, said plate being supportedat its inner end by resting loosely upon said shaft and being supportedat its outer end upon the machine-frame, and means for adjusting saidknife-plate toward said shaft.

8. In a cotton-gin, the combination of a rotatable shaft, and aplurality of disks 0 secured thereto, with the slotted verticalpartition extending down between said disks, the horizontal knife-barsh, and means for feeding seed-cotton into the space bounded by twodisks, the partition I) and the knife-bars.

9. In a cotton-gin, the combination of a rotatable shaft, and aplurality of disks secured to said shaft, which disks have their endfaces of pyramidal form, with a knife-plate H supported in a horizontalposition with its sides respectively close to and parallel with theopposed end faces of said disks, on one side of their axis, saidknife-plate having a central opening, and a wedge-shaped deflectorbetween the disks and above said knife-plate, and a partition 'to whichsaid wedge-shaped block is secured and which has slots which embrace butdo not touch said disks.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

PHINEAS F. KING. Witnesses ALBERT H. BATES, E. L. THURSTON.

